Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs Z from UK

"We arrived at Oyster Bay after a 12 hour journey from the UK and were bowled over by this beautiful hotel, the welcome from all the staff (who greeted outside the building with freshly made lemonade) and the tranquil surroundings. We spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool, then had a lovely dinner outside. A wonderful start to our holiday.

We went to Oyster Bay at the beginning of our holiday before going on safari but it would equally be a lovely place to finish your holiday with. Location-wise, it was perfect us as we didn't visit the city itself as we were passing through. It's beautifully positioned overlooking the ocean away from the hustle and bustle of Dar."

"Staying at the camp was an amazing experience, partly due to the wonderful set up where animals can walk through the camp. We woke up on our first morning to find elephants blocking our path from our room to the communal area - how amazing is that!? It is beautifully decorated, with a homely feel but stylish too.

The guides and staff were so welcoming, and genuinely interested in us and what we wanted to do with our time and our safari experience. We loved meeting the different guides and enjoyed being able to dine with them and hear their stories and adventures. The food was fantastic and every night we had a wonderful dinner; they also took into account our dietary requirements and always provided excellent alternatives when needed.

We had expected to enjoy our holiday but our safari at Beho Beho exceeded our expectations because of how the guides made it such a personal experience."

"It was slightly difficult coming off a busy safari routine to such a peaceful retreat and we did feel slightly at a loss when we first arrived as it is very low key. However, the staff were amazingly helpful and welcoming, helping us to plan activities, for example snorkling and island visits. The lodge is situated next to a fishing village and it was fascinating being shown the village by a member of staff who lived there and seeing every day life in a rural community.

Matemwe Lodge's beach is very beautiful, however it is worth noting that while we were there it was very difficult to swim due to the reef and the many sea urchins. The lodge does have lovely pools though. The food was delicious and the staff friendly and welcoming. We particularly enjoyed the barbecues with the live music. It's worth noting that it is quite a long drive to some of the island's tourist attractions but the hotel were great about organising transport and guides.

We were slightly unprepared for the changeable weather - it was quite windy and sometimes we had short bursts of rain. But a lovely holiday all in all and Matemwe is perfect for a relaxing retreat."

"We had a great last two days of our holiday in this hotel. After a rural retreat it was good to be in a lively city hotel. Colonial style hotel with an amazing large pool right on the beach edge. Lovely private balconies to our rooms and excellent air conditioning (when needed). Even though the Serena is a fairly large hotel the staff made an effort to talk to us and made sure all our needs were met. It was nice to be so centrally located and we loved our guided walk around old Stonetown.

We really enjoyed our stay at the Serena."